Spring-assembling mechanism for snap-fasteners.



. A; J LEWIS.

-SPRING ASSEMBLING MECHANISM FOR SNAP FASTENERS;

APPLICATION FILED. mu z e. 191s.

1,271,330., Patented July 2,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1;

INVENZR i ATTORNEY LEWIS. .SPRING'ASSEMBLING MECHANISM FOR SNAP FASTENERS.

APPLlCAT IQQfFILED' m. 26. ms.

Patnted July 2 v x w m w w 0 3 T 5 1 V. r v I ar ssa- To allj'whom it 'may concern.-

aAnrnUn-J. .LEfwIs, or srna rronn,

CONNECTICI TT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BAIRD MAGHTNE GQMPANQLQ-F BRIDGEPORT, c'onnncrrcunh CORPORATION or connnc'rrcun srnmG-AssEMBLmeMEcHAmsi/rf FOB SNAP-FASTENERS.

Beit known that I, ARTHUR LEWIS, a

:citizfenof the United States, residing at Stratford, county of F airfield, State of Gon- ,necticut, have invented an Improvement in Spring-Assembling Mechanism 1 for Snap- Fasteners, of

which the following is a specificatio'n.

. I This invention relates to the manufacture of the socketmembe'rs of snap, fasteners, so called, "the socket members of which are pro- [videdwith wire springs of peculiar fOI'IllIr "tion, which look the shanks of the other members, in engagement with the .socket members, and the invention-has for its object to provide quick operating and reliableautomatic niechani'sm for assembling the springs in the socket members. In'the accompanying drawings forming a partfof this Specification,

- Figurel is a plan View of so much of a spring forming and assembling machine as is necessary to illustrate the present invention F 2- a view partly in elevationas seen from the left in: Fig. 1, and p'artlyin section on the line indicated'by 2- 2 in Fig. 1,

looking toward the right,-

' Fig. 3a plan view, on an enlarged scale,as

seen from the point indicated' by line 3-3 Figs, Sand 6 detail views, partly in ele vation and partly in'section, ona still larger 7 socket mem m'ember,

scale, illustrating successive steps "in the operationof assembling a spring in asocket T eatly enlarged plan view ofa er with the spring assembled therein, and

- Y Fig. 8 is a View corresponding with Fig. 4,

adapt the machine ;.for 'fass'emblingsprings in relatively shallow socket members; I I

The form i 'i,ig-mechanismnof the present case c"orresponds with the forming mech- 1 :anism' of my pending application, Serial No.

- 20 denotes, as insaidtapplication, thebed,

'21 a, slide, adapted to reciprocate longitudb nally in ways in the bed,'22ya slide adapted Specification of Letters -retort.

sides thereof,

anism maybe used.

25,26 theforming'punch which is carried by sl de 22, and 34 a spring which causes retraction-of forming punch comprises a tongue 42: having notches 43 on opposite which receive the ends of the wire/spring blank, indicated by 44. The operative portions of the jaws are provided with half sockets 49 which together form a socket to receive the 'form in the spring slide 22. denotes the form for. springs which is reciprocated by mechanism not shown as specifically it forms no portlon of the present invention. The operative portion of the a Patented July 2,. 1,913.; r Applioation filed Ianuary 26, 1918., e ria1No.218,99

forming operation. In the backs of the jaws and surrounding the half sockets and extending across the tops of the operative portions of the jaws are grooves 51 adapted to receive the wire spring blank. The wire is fed to the machine through a quill 52,-each operatlon-of the feeding mechanism supplying just therequired length of wire to form I '75. a cutter, not shown,

a spring ,blank.

operation ceases, operating with the forward end of the quill, cuts off the blank. Any ordinary or pre ferred form of feedin" The instant the feeding he external contour of the for'm 1s clr'cular.

and cutting-oil mechs -Within this circular contour, the metal is milled out to form, a 1

longitudinal recessindicated by 54. At'the base of the recess'is a central rounded 10 1-" gitudinal groove, which isadaPted'to-receive the tongueof the forming punch,- and on opposite sides of said groove are other,

rounded grooves into hichzthe wire of, the spring blank ispressed by theforming punch. The sides of the form comprise incline toward each other. a

arms 57 which are rounded at their ends and in a rotating disk indicatedv by '65; Thea mechaniksep for producin ro'tation -of theg disk is n hown'as speci cally it forms no portion of the present invention. Each spring blank is pressed about the form by the jaws and the'ends pushed inward bythe" forming punch. After a. spring is formed the forming punch and the. form are both with w le i g the pring-fin t e j w I which move forward and carry the spring to the assembling position that is over one of the sockets in the disk.

The shape of the fastener members and the springs will be readily understood from Fig. 7 and the accompanying views. The fastener members are blanked outand formed from sheet metal, and cdmprise a cup 46 having a central hollow stud 47 extending upward from the bottom and pro vided with slots as in opposite sides thereof. The springs are formed by bending spring blanks 44 to partly circular form and then I curving and re-curving the ends of, the blanks to form loops 62 and straight ends 63, which in the assembled position engage the slots in the studs as clearly shown in Fig. 7. 1

The assembling operationis performed by inner and outer plungers, indicated respec tively by 35 and 36, the inner plunger being adapted to slide in the outer plunger and inv dependently thereof, and the outer plunger being adapted to slide in a sleeve 37 which is seated in a bracket 3-8 bolted to the bed.

-At the upper end of the outer plunger is 'an adjustable clamping block 27 which is engaged by a yoke 28 at the end of a bell-crank lever 29 which has its fulcrum in the bracket. At the other end of bell-crank lever 29 is a roller 30 which engages a cam groove 31 in a disk 32 carried by driving shaft 83. The inner plunger is providedwith a shank l5 which extends upward through the outer plunger andis provided at its upper end with an adjustable block which is engaged by a yoke'5'8 on a bellcrank lever which has its fulcrum in the bracket. At theotherend of bell-crank lever 55 is a roller 56 which engages a camgroove, not shown, in a disk 58 onthe. driving shaft. These cam grooves are plotted to produce the movements of 'the plunge'rs which I will now describe.

Fig. 4 shows the plungers in the normal or inoperative position. From this position the inner plunger will move downward until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 5 shows an intermediate position of the plungers. It will be notedthat the end of the inner plunger is provided with a hole 39,

which receives the stud of the fastener memher and that it is also provided with an outward bevel or chamfer indicated by 41.. Starting with the spring in the position shown in Fig. a the chamfer of the inner plunger will engage the ends and loops of the-spring and tilt them downward and cause the ends to separate as they are pressed over the stud, as 'clearlyshown in Fig. 5.

plunger will continue-until the'ends of the spring have been'carried into alinen ent with the slots in the stud, into which the resilience of the spring will carrythem. As soon ent invention is concerned;

as the ends of the spring have engaged the move upward to the position shown in Fig.

- 4:, the jaws and form return tothe spring forming position and the disk moves for-j" ward and places another fastener member' 1n position to receive a sprlng. The special manner in which the socket members with" springs assembled therein are removed from the disk is unimportant so far as the-pres The form illustrated inFigfS differs only in that pgovision is made for assembling springs in socket members of. varying heights. It will of course be obvious that the tops of the cups of the fastener members must lie flush with the upper surface of the.

disk. In order to enableme to assemble springs in cups of different heights, I provide a I plunger 60 which moves vertically in the bed and is adapted to pass into the holes 66 in the This plunger is timedto opera ate in unison with the other mechanism, so

that when a hole with'a fastener member therein has reached the assembling position,

the plunger will rise, pass into the hole and ra se the fastener member therein just sufiiciently to place the upper edge of the .cup' flush withthe surface of the disk. .When

the assembling operation is completed, like.

plunger 60 will dro down belowjthe disk... When'the height 0 the fastener members being operated upon correspondsu with the thickness of the disk, plunger 60 is rendered inoperative, the upper face thereof being set flushwith the surface of thelbed.

I -Iaving thus described my invention, I

'1. Mechanism of the character described, comprising spring holding means, member holding IIlQil-HS adapted to register therewith, inner and outer plungers, means for moving the inner plunger to partly seat the w spring in the member, and means forinov-f .ing the outer plunger to complete the assembling operation.

2. Mechanism of comprising spring holding jaws adapted to be moved into assembling position, member holding means adapted toregister with the springfrom the jaws and partly seat it in the member, and means. for. causing the i enter: plunger to make a subsequent movev The downward :movement of the inner ment to-complete' the assembling operation.

3. Mechanism of the character described, comprising spring holding means. a rotating disk having member receiving. holesadapted to register with the spring holding the character described, ll

1 jaws, innerandouter plungers,means'for -caus1ng the inner plunger to remove the means, inner and outer plungers, means for moving the-inner plunger to partly seat a spring in the member and means for moving the outer plunger to complete the assembling operation.

at. Mechanism of the character described, comprising spring holding means, a rotating disk having member receiving holes adapted to register with the spring holding means, means for raising members in the holes, for. the. purpose set forth, inner and outer plungers', means for causing the inner plunger to partly seat a spring in the member and meansfor causing the outer plunger to complete the assen'ibling operanon.

5. Mechanism of the character described, comprising spring holding means, a rotating disk having member receiving holes adapted to register with the spring holding means, a bed over which the disk moves a plunger iii the bed adapted to register with a hole in operative position, to raise the member therein, inner and outer plungers, means for moving the inner plunger to partly seata spring in the member and the outer plunger to complete the assembling operation.

6. Mechanism IIIQDIbQlSWlllQll comprise a cup and a central stud with slots in opposite"sidesthereof, consisting of spring holding means, memfor assembling springs in her holding means adapted to register there-,

with, an inner plunger havinga hole in its end to receive the stud, and a chamfer, an

outer plunger, means for moving the inner plunger downward, the chaint'er acting to separate the ends of the spring andpress them over the stud into position to enter the slots, and means for moving the outer plunger downward to seat the spring in the cup. V

T. Mechanism for assembling springs in members which comprise a cup and a central stud with slots in opposite sides thereof, consisting of spring holding jaws adapted to be moved into assembling position, member holding means adapted to register with the jaws, an inner plunger having a hole in its end to receive the stud. and a chamfer. an outer plunger, means for niov iiig the inner plunger downward, the chains fer acting to separate the ends ot the spr ng and press tl ie nv over the stud into posit on to enter the slots and means for moving the outer plunger to seat the spring in the cup.

8. Mcchanisn'i for assembling springs in 'members which comprise a cup and a central stud with slots in opposite sides thereof, consisting of spring holding'means, a rotating disk having member receiving holes adapted to register with the spring holding means, an inner plunger having a hole in its end to receive the stud, and a chamfer, an outer plunger, means for moving the inner plunger downward,--the chamfor acting to separate the ends of the spring and press them over the stud into position to enter the slots, and means for moving the outer plunger to seat the spring in the cup.

9. Mechanism for assembling springs in members WhiCll'COlllPl'lSQ a cup and a central stud with slots in opposite sides there-v of,v consisting of spring holding means, a rotating disk having member receiving holes adapted to register with the spring holding means. a bed over which the disk moves. a plunger iii the bed adapted to register with the hole in operative position, to raise a member therein. an inner plunger having a hole in its end'to receive the stud, and a chaint'er, an outer plunger, means for mov ing the inner plunger downward, the chainfer acting to separate the ends of the spring and press them over the stud into position to enter the slots, and means for moving the outer plunger to seat the spring in the cup.

10. Mechanism for assembling springs in members which comprise a cup and a central stud with slots in opposite sides thereof, consisting of spring holding means, a rotating disk having member receiving holes adapted to register with the spring holding means, means for. raising members in the holes. for the purpose set forth, an inner plunger having a hole in its end to receive the stud, and a chainfer, an outer plunger, means for moving the inner plunger downe ward. the cli'aint'er actingto separate the ends of the spring and press them over the stud into position to enter the slots, and

means for moving the. outer plunger to seat the spring in the cup. I

11x Mechanism of the character described, comprising jaws whichplace the springs in position to be operated upon, means for placing the members in the receiving position. inner and outer plungers, and means for actuating said plungers independently to seat springs in members by successive operations.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

ARTHUR J. LEWIS. 

